India, March 27 -- Panic buying and hoarding triggered by false social media rumours disrupted fuel supplies across several Punjab districts since Thursday afternoon.

Misleading reports linked the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict to a potential domestic fuel shortage, prompting a rush of commuters to petrol pumps in Jalandhar and Amritsar districts.

While filling stations in Amritsar ran dry on Friday morning due to the sudden surge in demand, officials confirmed that the situation in Doaba has begun normalising. However, as replenishment trucks arrived in Amritsar and pumps resumed sales later on Friday, queues resurfaced across the city.

District administrations in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, and ...